Control Freak
by Ember518
Summary: Thanks to Desiree, Valerie now possesses a rebuilt version of Freakshow's ghost controlling staff. And her first target? Danny Phantom.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Danny Phantom and all related characters :cry:

Er.. I know I should be busy updating my stories, but I just **_HAD _**to write this one!

Eee-yep, here it is!

**Chapter 1**

Valerie groaned. Her beeping ghost watch had alerted her of paranormal activity- at three o' clock in the morning. Valerie yawned. Protecting Amity Park from ghosts was a tiring job.

Nevertheless, she was speeding off on her jetsled before anyone could say "ghost kid".

Who, speaking of which, was the reason Valerie was rudely awakened: Her watch had picked on his ectoplasmic signature.

Valerie scowled at the thought of the ghost boy, otherwise know as the infamous Danny Phantom. He and his _stupid _dog had caused her father to lose his job and her popularity. The ghost boy was almost always the cause of disaster, even though he protested his innocence. And some thought he was a hero. Pfft…

Valerie reached the park in three minutes flat, only to find the ghost boy fighting with another spirit.

"Always lookin' for trouble, huh, ghost kid?" Valerie muttered under her breath. Plasma cannons unfolded out of her ghost hunting suit and automatically targeted the specter.

Danny Phantom, of course, was busy fighting off the ghostly harem girl, Desiree, who had, once again, taken to granting every wish she heard and bending them so that they backfired upon the wisher.

So of course Phantom did not expect to be shot out of the sky by a very surly Valerie.

Seizing the chance to escape and wreak more havoc, Desiree cackled and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

Valerie heard Phantom groan as she descended for a better shot. He muttered something that sounded distinctly like, "So much for finishing that math paper on time,"

Math paper?

Shaking off that _interesting _comment, Valerie pulled out an ecto-bomb and flung it in the ghost kid's direction.

Unfortunately, Phantom saw it coming and soared into the air as the grenade exploded, leaving a crack in the ground and only half of a nearby bench.

Phantom raised an eyebrow at the half-a-bench.

"Smooth," he called.

"Oh shut up, ghost!" Valerie retorted back.

Phantom barely dodged the barrage of plasma-blasts that followed.

And so the fight carried on, with the two teens exchanging blasts, fists, and the occasional witty banter.

Phantom managed a variety of attacks from ecto-balls to ghost rays.

Valerie stuck with her ghost hunting equipment. She was a ninth degree black belt, of course, but that was useless against the inhuman strength that some ghosts, Phantom included, processed. Plus, the ghosts who didn't, could simply become intangible. Besides, her equipment _was _designed to hurt ghosts, and that's exactly what Phantom was.

Right?

Valerie plucked out a ghost riffle from her black knapsack. She shot a round of blasts at the ghost boy who automatically flung up an ecto-shield to block them.

Stifling a yawn, Valerie tried another ecto-bomb. She wanted to get back to bed, but she had to ensure that Phantom wouldn't attack Amity again. At least, until morning, when she was more alert.

Unfortunately, when the smoke cleared, Phantom had vanished.

Valerie let a frustrated growl escape her lips.

… And it was because of Phantom, and his extremely inopportune attacks on Amity Park, that Valerie came to school everyday tired, and was barely passing every subject.

"I just wish I could control Phantom's attacks – or stop them," she sighed.

Valerie started to steer her jetsled home, but stopped as green smoke began to grow and twist in front of her. Valerie gripped her ghost riffle tighter as the smoke assumed the form of the ghostly harem girl Phantom was fighting earlier.

"You'd better watch it, ghost!" Valerie warned. "I have a riffle and I'm not afraid to use it!"

The ghost seemed unfazed by the threat. Instead, she put her hands together and said, "I am Desiree, granter of wishes."

She raised a hand toward the sky.

"And so you have wished it, and so shall it be!"

Desiree's hand glowed scarlet and Valerie tensed.

Instead of attacking though, Desiree swept her hand across the area in front of Valerie, creating a trail of red mist.

When it had dissipated, though, a ruby staff floated in its place.

"Quite an amazing artifact," Desiree murmured, "You will be able to control Phantom, _your wish will be his command!_"

The last six words caught Valerie's attention.

"How?" she asked.

Desiree smirked and continued, "Simply force him to see this," – she pointed at the red orb atop the staff, which had remained clear and blank. At the gesture, though, crimson smoke had begun swirling ominously within it. – "And he will obey your every command."

"Er… Thanks!" said Valerie, grasping the staff. She ignored the strange tingling sensation it caused.

"The pleasure's all mine, child," Desiree replied with a smirk.

She gave a soft laugh and disappeared in a vortex of green smoke.

Valerie stood there, stunned, for a moment, before steering her jetsled back home.

* * *

Valerie climbed into bed. She had placed the staff against a wall in the corner of her room, knowing that her father never came in anyway. (She was keeping the staff a secret, of course.)

Valerie yawned, and smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

For the first time ever, though, Valerie couldn't wait to confront the ghost boy again. When he did show his face again, though, Valerie would be ready.

And the staff gleamed eerily in the darkness.

* * *

Hope you liked it! I'll try to update soon! R&R! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! This is chapter two!**

**Chapter 2**

"_**BRIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGGG!"**_

Valerie awoke as her alarm clock announced loudly that it was time for school.

Seeing as how she'd only gotten four hours of sleep the previous night, Valerie yawned often as she got dressed in her trademark outfit: A yellow top and an orange skirt.

Valerie vaguely wondered if last night's happenings were only a dream. As she reached for her backpack, though, a gleam in the corner of the room caught her eye.

It definitely hadn't been a dream.

The staff Desiree had granted her last night was shimmering in the corner. Valerie decided that it would be best to take the staff along with her to school in case that wretched ghost kid showed up. You could never be too prepared, after all.

Another situation sprang up as Valerie picked up the staff.

'_How on earth am I gonna hide this!'_

"I wish this was a little more inconspicuous," Valerie growled.

The room chilled for a moment and Valerie narrowed her eyes.

A ghost? In here?

The temperature drop disappeared as soon as it had come and Valerie found herself holding not a staff, but a pair of crimson earrings which seemed to glow eerily brighter when held closer to each other.

Valerie clutched the pair of earrings in one hand, but almost immediately let go of them: The triangular gems had aligned with each other, singeing Valerie's hand when doing so.

The earrings hovered about waist height for Valerie, still perfectly aligned.

Almost like paper, bat wings, a head, and a tail folded out from the earrings, soon forming a bat with green eyes.

Valerie recognized it immediately. It perched atop the staff's handle and held the crystal ball up with the tips of its wings.

The bat's green eyes seemed to glow brighter until there was a flash of brilliant green light and the staff Desiree granted her last night.

That was convenient.

'How do I turn it back though?' Valerie thought.

As if on cue, the staff flashed back into seemingly-innocent crimson earrings.

Valerie hooked the earrings on, grabbed her backpack, and ran to school. It felt almost like waiting for Christmas, except she was waiting for the ghost boy to show up.

* * *

"Nice earrings," Star commented. "Where'd you get 'em?"

"Internet," Valerie responded a bit too quickly.

"Oh," Star said, just as the bell rang over their heads.

"See you later!" Star called, striding away.

No sooner had Star left, Valerie found herself knocked to the ground. The book she was holding skidded across the floor.

Valerie opened her mouth to retort at the idiot who had bumped into her.

Until she realized it was Danny Fenton.

Valerie felt her heart flutter for a moment as Danny helped her up.

"Sorry about that," Danny said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Here's your book," he added, handing the math book back.

"Thanks," Valerie replied, taking the book. "Don't you have class?"

"Nope, I have first period free," said Danny, "You?"

"I have algebra," Valerie answered. She held up her math book.

Danny stared, unblinking at Valerie's earrings.

"uh, Danny?" Valerie said.

No response.

"Earth to Danny!"

Still no response. Creeeeepppyyy.

Valerie snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Danny, are you alright?"

"Huh? Wha-" Danny said, snapping out of his trance.

"You zoned out for a moment there," Valerie informed him.

"Heh," Danny chuckled nervously, "Must've gotten a little spacey there. I was up pretty late last night."

'Heh, me too. But I doubt you were fighting ghosts.' Valerie thought dryly.

"Me too," she said aloud.

"Well don't want to be late for class," said Danny hurriedly, "See you at lunch!"

Danny cast the earrings a fearful glance and practically shot off in the opposite direction.

Wait, _fearful _glance?

And didn't Danny say he had first period free?

"The day just gets weirder and weirder," Valerie muttered to herself.

And with that she hurried off to Mr. Polluka's algebra class.

* * *

Lunchtime rolled around.

Valerie sat down at an empty table with a tray full of a substance the school board had the nerve to call 'Food'.

In fact, usually the only edible thing on Valerie's tray was a carton of milk, which she quickly abandoned upon noticing a chunk of green floating around.

Valerie sighed as she stood up to throw away her 'lunch'.

She watched Danny and his friends talking amongst themselves at their usual table. They were sitting close enough that Valerie caught a bit of their conversation.

"How 'bout the mall?" Sam was saying.

"Let's stop at Danny's for a milkshake first," said Tucker, "Then we'll hit the mall."

"You know what's weird though?" Tucker added.

"What," Danny and Sam asked at the same time.

"The thought that Danny Phantom, the infamous ghost boy of Amity Park, the supposedly 'evil' Inviso-Bill" – Danny rolled his eyes at that –

"Get on with it Tuck," he said.

"-Can make a really good milkshake," Tucker finished.

Valerie watched in confusion as the trio shared a laugh.

'Did that mean they knew the ghost kid?' Valerie wondered.

Then she thought, 'Milkshakes?'

The day really _was _getting weirder and weirder.

* * *

It wasn't until chemistry class, when something happened.

Ghost attack.

In the middle of Ms. Kindler's lecture about elements and whatnot, Valerie's ghost hunting watch had begun vibrating, alerting her of spectral activity.

In the corner of her eye, Valerie heard Danny gasp, and he, Tucker, and Sam shared a fearful look. He muttered something inaudible to Tucker and Sam who nodded.

Both Valerie and Danny simultaneously raised their hands.

"May I be excused?" they asked at the same time.

Mrs. Kindler nodded.

Both Valerie and Danny shot out of the classroom.

Valerie saw Danny run ahead and turn a corner.

There was a flash of light, and when Valerie passed the corner, Danny had disappeared.

She hoped that it wasn't a ghost's doing.

Valerie burst into the Girls' Bathroom, practically ripping off the crimson earrings on the way.

Thankfully the bathroom was deserted, and Valerie experienced the familiar sensation of transforming into her ghost hunting gear.

Valerie sped outside on her jetsled, smirking under her mask and clutching the earrings, one in each hand.

"You're goin' down, ghost kid," she muttered to herself.

* * *

**Sorry it was so late. I had the draft done already, but I was too lazy to type it. 'Smiles sheepishly' Hope you enjoyed! R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay guys, I warned ya, so don't say I didn't!**

**My Microsoft Word trial died.**

**Which totally (sort of) explains this positively late chapter. But thanks to this giant lapse of time, I've written the next couple chapters in my notebook, and I'm typing them up when I get some time. So... Here's the reward for your patience...**

**Chapter 3**

Valerie silently watched from a distance as the ghost boy sucked the Box Ghost into some sort of metal thermos. _I'll have to ask him what it _really_ does afterwards_ she thought to herself.

_But in the meanwhile..._

Now was her chance; the hover board's jets blasted the sled forward right in front of the ghost boy.

The specter didn't look surprised, as if he was anticipating her arrival. Valerie noticed a flash of fear that rippled across his face. She smirked.

"What's the matter, spook?" She taunted, "Forget your ego at home?"

The ghost boy scowled and replied, "Don't play stupid, I know you have that... _thing_ with you, and I'm not going through that again!"

Without warning, he shot off into the skies, away from Valerie.

_Oh no you don't!_

Valerie urged her jetsled after the ghost kid, who was increasing altitude. She felt the built-in oxygen mask activating, supplying her with just enough breathable air to reach the ghost's height.

Phantom was flying faster than ever. Valerie had to urge her jetsled forward to get within seeing range of him. She gritted her teeth in frustration and commanded an Ecto-Laser gun to fold out her sled. It quickly targeted its quarry and fired in rapid succession.

Valerie smirked as one of her shots had hit its mark. She could see Phantom plummeting toward the ground. Valerie's jetsled automatically changed flight patterns and sped towards the ghost boy.

The ghost boy caught himself before falling too close to Amity Park Downtown. Valerie's laser gun rounded off some more unexpected shots at Phantom, sending him far from Amity Park, toward the forests that surrounded it. Valerie followed, her jetsled reaching top speeds.

Valerie watched as Phantom tried to pull back into the air, but the laws of physics were not on his side today; he pulled upward only enough to end up crashing into the forest into many large trees, snapping them in half. Finally, he smashed into the ground in front of a giant oak, leaving a large crater in his wake. Valerie lowered her jetsled in front of the barely conscious boy.

Without giving him time to recover, Valerie mercilessly shot Phantom in the chest, slamming him into the large tree behind him. He slowly lifted his head, trying to find some method of escape. His invisibility flickered, and his intangibility failed altogether. As a last resort, he tried a basic ecto-blast, but the green beam had fizzled out before reaching its target.

Valerie watched as the ghost boy slowly tried his options, each of them failing him. She smirked as he began crawling away, his chest wound leaking precious ectoplasm. He didn't get very far, though. Almost immediately his arms gave out and he collapsed onto the grass, coughing harshly.

Swiftly, Valerie forced him against the trunk of the tree, pressing the barrel of her ecto-gun against his neck.

"You're not getting away _this_ time, spook," she hissed.

Valerie kept her gun trained on Phantom as she retrieved the earrings. The ghost was fatigued; Valerie could tell that he was using much of his energy merely standing up.

The earrings snapped together, and the staff Valerie had been granted the previous night appeared. She grasped its frigid red handle and advanced toward the ghost boy.

"You ruined my life!" she spat, thrusting the tip of the staff inches from his face. The scarlet orb instantly sprung to life, dark crimson smoke spiraling within it.

"You destroyed the town and kidnapped the mayor!" she continued vehemently, but the ghost had shut his eyes and turned his head away. "You're a menace! A ghost! A _freak_!"

The ghost flinched at her last exclamation, but his eyes were still closed. Valerie growled.

"Open your eyes!" she demanded.

He did not.

"_Open your eyes, now!_" she shouted.

He refused.

"OPEN YOUR EYES!"

"No,"

Phantom's reply came out soft and hoarse, but clearly nonetheless.

"I don't want to go through it again," he said quietly, but Valerie ignored him.

She fumed for a moment before an idea sprang into her mind.

Sighing miserably, she said, "It's just that… I gave up so much when my dad lost his job. My friends ditched me and I had to work for money so I could get into college. I was angry, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you… I'm…Sorry,"

"…_What_?" Phantom whispered, puzzled.

"I'm sorry," Valerie said, forcing as much regret into the apology she could muster.

Her plan worked: Slowly, the ghost boy turned his head toward her and cautiously opened his eyes.

Big mistake.

Immediately, his green eyes met the wicked crimson orb. Phantom let out a surprised gasp before his eyes dulled and drained into a malevolent crimson, matching the color of the glass sphere. His legs gave out as he succumbed to the spell, and he fell onto his knees, his eyes still trained on the orb.

Under her mirrored visor, Valerie smirked. Finally, Amity Park would be rid of its ghost threats after so many months of attacks. Her eyes trailed over to Phantom, staring into the swirling depths of the orb, dazed.

"Stand up," she said to him. At the sound of her voice, Phantom's eyes, which had been glazed over, snapped into focus; he rose.

"You know where my apartment is, right?" Valerie asked. Phantom's now crimson eyes stared into her green ones.

"Yes," he intoned.

"Go into my room and stay invisible until I come back," Valerie ordered. Phantom gave no indication he heard but silently faded from view. The air grew warmer as Phantom's presence receded. Valerie grinned.

_I win, ghost boy_ she thought, smirking.

* * *

Valerie stepped back into class, ignoring the teacher's reproachful glare and the jocks' snickers at her slightly disheveled appearance. She hadn't noticed Tucker and Sam trade worried glances, but frowned when she noted that Danny _still_ had not returned.

* * *

The school bell rang loudly, signaling the end of the day. Hoardes of students scrambled outside into the sunny afternoon. Valerie herself walked out leisurely, relishing her victory over Phantom.

It was short-lived, however, when she saw a worried Sam and Tucker. The third member of their trio was still missing. She walked over to the two teens.

"Hey guys," she greeted, "Where's Danny?"

Sam spun around, and Valerie was taken aback by the suspicious glare the girl wore.

"We don't know," she said through gritted teeth, "_You_ wouldn't have happened to see him anywhere, would you?"

"I saw him on my way to the bathroom," Valerie replied smoothly (It was partially true, after all). "Haven't seen him since."

Sam growled.

"You lying b-!"

"Sam!" Tucker intervened, holding back the girl as she struggled to tackle Valerie. Puzzled, and slightly hurt, Valerie took a step backward.

"We should probably look for Danny," Tucker chuckled nervously, "Right, _Sam_?"

The Goth girl gave both Valerie and Tucker a murderous glare before stalking off, Tucker following after her.

Valerie stood there, perplexed at Sam's behavior, before shrugging it off.

After all, she had more important matters to tend to this afternoon.

* * *

Valerie stepped into her apartment cautiously. The door creaked loudly as she closed it, and the floorboards seemed to squeak ominously not unlike something from a horror movie.

_The apartment's not destroyed, that's a good sign_ Valerie thought to herself. She snapped together the earrings and gripped the ruby staff once more.

Her room was slightly colder than usual. The leaky pipe in the ceiling dripped slowly, and the puddle it formed was frosty.

Phantom was definitely here.

"Ghost boy," Valerie called. The crystal sphere began to fill with acrid crimson smoke.

At her call, Phantom obediently shimmered into visibility, looking slightly paler than usual. Valerie noticed that his chest wound was still leaking ectoplasmic blood which pooled around the ghost's boots. She grimaced. His eyes were still a menacing red, giving him a slightly more evil look.

It occurred to Valerie that it was highly possible Phantom was merely pretending to be under a spell and waiting for her to let her guard down.

_Time for a test then_ Valerie thought to herself.

"Phantom," Valerie said, watching as the ghost's eyes snapped into focus on her, "Have you ever… Obliterated another ghost before?"

"…Almost," he replied.

"So you know how to Obliterate a ghost?" Valerie asked.

"Yes,"

"Show me," she commanded.

Almost immediately, Phantom's white-gloved fist lit up with a deadly emerald glow. The air in the room suddenly froze as white sparks danced around his hand. The glow only grew stronger, lighting up the entire room. The cold intensified still. A deathly chill emanated from Phantom's hand, which was now encased in a brilliant white radiance. Valerie gripped the staff tighter as its tip swirled faster and faster…

"Now" she said, with grim determination, "Obliterate yourself, ghost!"

**Erm… Did that count as a cliffhanger…?**

**(And yes, 'Twisted' should be getting an update pretty soon… But I want to write a One-shot first…)**

**Edit: Sorry, fixing spelling mistakes.**

**Hope you enjoyed, R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**So as soon as I walk home from the last day of school, dear ol' Mom comes up to me and drops a 580-page 'College Algebra' workbook at my feet and says, "Guess what **_**you're**_** doing this summer!"**

**Okay, so maybe that's not what **_**really**_** happened, but you get my drift. I'm basically stuck doing some college algebra book (whoopee.) while everyone else is enjoying their summer! **

**Well, enough of my ranting, here's the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

She could feel her heart thudding against her ribcage as she watched Phantom press a glowing fist against his chest. Time seemed to slow as Valerie watched the ghost about to Obliterate himself.

The raw power surrounding the hand began to tear away at Phantom's body. Valerie watched in horror fascination as a hole was rapidly gouged into his chest. Ectoplasm was flowing freely now, spilling from the wound and onto the floor, yet Phantom's eyes remained eerily blank. Valerie gripped her staff tighter, squinting as green, almost white, light filled the room.

The fist was mere centimeters away from Phantom's heart when he started screaming. He fell onto his knees, shrieking as the hole in his chest grew larger and larger…

Valerie could only watch as his other hand gripped his wrist and tried to pull the fist away, but to no avail. His tortured screams rang eerily throughout the room as he was forced to Obliterate himself. Valerie trembled at the sound.

Suddenly, she felt the staff being tugged from her. If she hadn't been holding it with such a vice-like grip it would have surely been taken. Valerie tried to wrench it back, but whoever was also holding her staff did not let go. All the while the room filled with green light and Phantom's screaming.

"STOP!! _STOP!!_"

All at once, the green light faded, as well as the Phantom's tormented shouting. Valerie tried to blink away the dots in her vision as she attempted to discern the interferer.

"Whose there?" Valerie called, unable to see past the colored spots dotting her sight.

The crimson staff flared to life.

"The intruders are Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson," came Phantom's monotone voice. Valerie froze, in surprise, and the staff was tugged out of her hands.

"Hey!"

But Sam didn't pay her any attention. Valerie saw her clutching the staff and hurrying towards Phantom. Tucker was standing in the doorway, eyes wide.

"Danny, oh my God! _Danny!_" Sam was crying as she lifted the ghost boy's limp form, Tucker rushed forward, and Valerie glimpsed Phantom's body.

It was terrible; his chest and torso were almost completely mutilated, ectoplasm quickly pooling around him. There was a gaping hole in his chest through which Valerie thought she could see the floor beneath him. Cuts that almost seemed like whip lashes trailed around his arms and legs, one even reached his throat.

"Danny, Danny, wake up!" Sam was shouting. Tucker swore softly at the bleeding mess that was Phantom before helping Sam wake the ghost boy.

Slowly, Phantom's eyes drifted open, and both Sam and Tucker gave a breath of relief. Valerie wondered why they would ever help a ghost, and how they'd even known that Phantom was here. Her eyes narrowed and she strode forward. Perhaps they were being overshadowed…

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked. Neither of them noticed Valerie approaching.

"However you want me to feel, mistress," Phantom replied dully. Both teens started at that before realization dawned on their faces.

"Red," Tucker whispered, and Valerie halted briefly, puzzled. "His eyes are red. Sam, you're controlling him."

"Right," Sam said, quickly putting down the staff, "We'd better destroy that thing before-"

"No!" Valerie shouted; without someone to control Phantom, who knew how much more damage he could cause?

Sam turned around to face Valerie; her expression riddled with surprise, as though she'd forgotten about Valerie, but quickly grew angry.

"No?!" she shouted incredulously, "You almost killed him!"

"So?" Valerie retorted, "He's just a filthy ghost! He's dangerous- he kidnapped the mayor and gets his pals to attack our school!"

"Danny's not dangerous! He's just framed for all that by ghosts!"

"Oh _please_! Don't tell me you believe all that crap too!"

"It's true! Danny doesn't attack the town; he _saves_ it from other ghosts!"

Valerie wanted scream and shout that saving the town from ghosts was _her_ job, but she kept quiet. Instead, she yelled, "You know what? I wish you'd just disappear! I was so close to getting rid of _him_! Everything was going fine until _you two_ came along!"

Sam opened her mouth to retort but was cut off when someone started cackling. Valerie whirled around, somehow knowing it was a ghost. She was right.

The genie ghost from the night before appeared above them. She waved her hand and acrid green smoke began swirling around Sam and Tucker.

"_So you have wished it, so shall it be…_"

Right before her eyes, Sam and Tucker disappeared in the spiraling smoke, while Phantom weakly called their names as he struggled to get up.

And then, the genie vanished, and the green fog disappeared, leaving only Valerie and Phantom.

Valerie cursed herself for not even drawing a gun while two civilians were kidnapped by a ghost. Panicking, she knew she had to get them back before they were hurt, or worse…

But how?

"This is your fault!"

Valerie was torn from her thoughts at the ghost boy's sudden outburst. Turning around, she saw Phantom had, with some difficulty, managed to stand up.

"Why did you make that wish?!" he shouted, emerald eyes flaring with anger. "You knew Desiree was still around! And now Sam and Tuck are gone!"

He started limping towards her, and Valerie drew back, worried by his rage. He certainly was a frightening image: Green blood still oozing from his wounds, as well as the hole in his chest; his ethereal eyes shimmering dangerously.

Valerie's eyes anxiously darted around the room for something to use. One of her ecto-guns were lying near her closet, if only she was close enough to reach it…

Her gaze rested on the crimson staff that Sam had dropped. It would be enough to subdue the ghost boy, but it was only inches from him- he'd surely figure out what she was planning.

Quickly making up her mind, Valerie dived toward the ecto-gun and swiftly shot a blast at the ghost boy.

Phantom cried out as he was thrown backwards against the wall. Valerie watched as the ghost boy crumpled into a heap on the floor. She picked up the staff just as he managed to sit up, coughing harshly. Without hesitation, Valerie pointed the tip at Phantom.

His eyes immediately turned crimson, any emotion disappearing; the pain that had distorted his expression vanished, and his tensed form went slightly limp. Valerie gave a breath of relief, leaning against her bed.

"Okay," Valerie murmured to herself, a migraine starting to form, "I need to sort this out."

Her green eyes met the red ones of the ghost boy's, and she almost gave a shriek of surprise: His ruby eyes were so cold and uncaring, and unbelievably sinister-looking.

Valerie spoke the first command that came to her mind, "Go to sleep,"

The effect was immediate; Valerie watched as Phantom's eyes flickered closed. His body fell backwards, leaning against the wall, and his head lolled forward. Valerie was surprised at how normal he seemed, save for the white hair and green blood.

After a moment, Valerie sat down on her own bed and sighed. She gazed absentmindedly at the crimson staff she clenched in her right hand, thinking.

_Now what?_

* * *

**Wow, no cliffhanger!! 'pats self on back' Hope you enjoyed, I'm back to doing math, bleh.**

**R&R!**


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